Hook 5: Bought in July, Dead by September - Help? - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Sheephead · 09-04-2017, 09:15 PM

Lowrance's hook models suck! I've had 5 break on me. Each one only lasting 2-3 months. Granted I fish 30-50 times in that time frame it wont matter if you baby the shit out of them. They will still corrode. Somehow, water got into your sd card slot and corroded the inside. It might not look corroded but it sounds like thats your problem. If you try turning it on/ off enough it will probably start to lock on a white screen when powered up or flash in rainbow colors.

I'd recommend switching to an Elite 7-Ti if you can afford it. Haven't had a single problem with it yet and it sucks having this corrosion issue happen when you need it the most. I'd send it in to lowrance for a replacement. If a new one doesn't get back to you in 2 weeks or less call lowrance again because they probably forgot about you. Took me over a month on 2/5 occasions...

bolocop · 09-05-2017, 08:45 AM

X2 on the SD card slot. Do youself a favor and buy from West Marine and buy the extended warranty.

I had a Hook 5 for all of one trip, rinsed it down and the SD card slot had a punky gasket. Returned it and got a new one.

On the new one, I applied clear caulk around the door. If you need to access the door, just scrape the caulk off, do your upgrades, etc and then reapply the caulk. Pretty cheap solution with minimal downside.

goldenglory18 · 09-05-2017, 08:52 AM

I've heard nothing but negative on the Hook series, even from my freshwater bretheren in AZ. Same type of issues, same eventual solution (return and upgrade to something else.)

TJones · 09-05-2017, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bolocop

X2 on the SD card slot. Do youself a favor and buy from West Marine and buy the extended warranty.

I had a Hook 5 for all of one trip, rinsed it down and the SD card slot had a punky gasket. Returned it and got a new one.

On the new one, I applied clear caulk around the door. If you need to access the door, just scrape the caulk off, do your upgrades, etc and then reapply the caulk. Pretty cheap solution with minimal downside.

On a lot of models . Great idea though.

Dannowar · 09-06-2017, 07:17 PM

Im willing to bet your brightness is all the way down. Power it up and when it goes black press the power button quickly a few times and see if the brightness goes back up

CON KSO · 09-07-2017, 03:57 PM

Called Lowrance customer service and they sent me a return authorization number and so I'm sending it back in.

Tried to see if the screen was just dimmed way down by doing what some of you suggested (power it up, push power a few times etc.) and.... nothing. It's not dimmed down because it doesn't even power up. It's dead.

I'm not sure if they'll allow me to upgrade but I'll try... and next time I will buy from West Marine and get the upgrade warranty.

I'll keep you posted on how this all works out.

CON KSO · 09-07-2017, 08:08 PM

Pretty funny - just looked closely at the return label Lowrance sent to me and it turns out the address is up at the Otay Mesa border crossing. It's 12 miles from my house so I'm going to drive it over there.

The place is a freight forwarding company so my buddy (who lives near La Paz) and I are laughing - we think they just freight forward the unit to the little dude who fixes all his electronics.

He told me that one of his captains once sank one of his boats - they took all the electronics into town and the guy fixed every single one of them - good to this day.

He also told me that regardless of what the unit says - it's not splash proof/water proof.

Do you guys run your units exposed to splashing etc? I'm thinking about putting a plastic bag over mine when I'm out there from now on.

A clear one.

09-06-2017, 07:17 PM	#5
Dannowar Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 1,823	Im willing to bet your brightness is all the way down. Power it up and when it goes black press the power button quickly a few times and see if the brightness goes back up __________________ "Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; lick it once and you’ll suck forever." — Brian Wilson

09-04-2017, 09:15 PM	#1
Sheephead Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: San Diego Posts: 115	Lowrance's hook models suck! I've had 5 break on me. Each one only lasting 2-3 months. Granted I fish 30-50 times in that time frame it wont matter if you baby the shit out of them. They will still corrode. Somehow, water got into your sd card slot and corroded the inside. It might not look corroded but it sounds like thats your problem. If you try turning it on/ off enough it will probably start to lock on a white screen when powered up or flash in rainbow colors. I'd recommend switching to an Elite 7-Ti if you can afford it. Haven't had a single problem with it yet and it sucks having this corrosion issue happen when you need it the most. I'd send it in to lowrance for a replacement. If a new one doesn't get back to you in 2 weeks or less call lowrance again because they probably forgot about you. Took me over a month on 2/5 occasions...

09-05-2017, 08:45 AM	#2
bolocop Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 332	X2 on the SD card slot. Do youself a favor and buy from West Marine and buy the extended warranty. I had a Hook 5 for all of one trip, rinsed it down and the SD card slot had a punky gasket. Returned it and got a new one. On the new one, I applied clear caulk around the door. If you need to access the door, just scrape the caulk off, do your upgrades, etc and then reapply the caulk. Pretty cheap solution with minimal downside.

09-05-2017, 08:52 AM	#3
goldenglory18 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Seattle Area Posts: 861	I've heard nothing but negative on the Hook series, even from my freshwater bretheren in AZ. Same type of issues, same eventual solution (return and upgrade to something else.)

09-07-2017, 03:57 PM	#6
CON KSO Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 83	Called Lowrance customer service and they sent me a return authorization number and so I'm sending it back in. Tried to see if the screen was just dimmed way down by doing what some of you suggested (power it up, push power a few times etc.) and.... nothing. It's not dimmed down because it doesn't even power up. It's dead. I'm not sure if they'll allow me to upgrade but I'll try... and next time I will buy from West Marine and get the upgrade warranty. I'll keep you posted on how this all works out.

09-07-2017, 08:08 PM	#7
CON KSO Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 83	Pretty funny - just looked closely at the return label Lowrance sent to me and it turns out the address is up at the Otay Mesa border crossing. It's 12 miles from my house so I'm going to drive it over there. The place is a freight forwarding company so my buddy (who lives near La Paz) and I are laughing - we think they just freight forward the unit to the little dude who fixes all his electronics. He told me that one of his captains once sank one of his boats - they took all the electronics into town and the guy fixed every single one of them - good to this day. He also told me that regardless of what the unit says - it's not splash proof/water proof. Do you guys run your units exposed to splashing etc? I'm thinking about putting a plastic bag over mine when I'm out there from now on. A clear one.